Press

Press

THE ART OF LETTING GO

The Lonely Wild recently emerged from Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco with a new record and a new lease on life. “We walked into the studio with an album about death,” says songwriter, Andrew Carroll, “and John Vanderslice taught us to let go.”

Known for his signature “sloppy hi-fi” approach to recording, Vanderslice worked with the band to create an album unlike anything they had done before. “In the past, we’ve always labored over every detail of our recordings, picking apart each performance.” Carroll continues, “But with John, you can’t do that. He’s kind of like Willy Wonka in the studio—he’s always on the move, whipping up this infectious, magical energy. The first thing we did was throw out all of our demos and approach each song like it was the first time we ever played it. This freed us to take risks, make new discoveries, and perform with fresh inspiration. It’s something we’d always strived for, but never quite had the confidence to capture on past records.”

The Lonely Wild’s 2011 debut EP, Dead End, was a sepia-tone-drenched collection of tunes that pulled from the American folk tradition and 1960’s spaghetti-westerns. Their 2013 follow-up LP, The Sun As it Comes, carried this sound to a grander scale with cavernous banshee cries, and sweeping brass arrangements. Their forthcoming record, Chasing White Light, finds the band in new sonic territory, exchanging western motifs for more eclectic and unusual arrangements. Given the resources of Tiny Telephone Studios, The Lonely Wild was able to seamlessly blend antique instruments like harpsichord and cello with analog synthesizers and electric organs, all recorded to tape. The result is a timeless sound that pushes the boundaries of modern pop music while retaining a sonic richness that existed in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll.

The songwriting on all of the songs here is engaging, apt, and relevant, serving as the icing on the cake to the sonically delightful music that this band doles out, track after track.

— Austin Town Hall

I needed a cigarette and a damp rag after these guys played. My world exploded that night inside the Constellation Room and I sat there in silence in a sea of people as I rebuilt my mind from the rubble that it was after the Lonely Wild’s last song. Truly excellent display of creativity, passion, and musicianship all wrapped up in a package that is just waiting to be discovered.